Never too early to get on a basketball bandwagon

"Mitch worked extremely hard this summer, put on 15 pounds of muscle and is now a much more complete player." — Duncan Cowan, Queen's men's basketball assistant coach

There was a time when it would be near unheard-of for the Queen's basketball team to get extended media play in August, but these Gaels, with the aforementioned Mitch Leger entering his junior year, are going to bear watching.

The nationals being at Scotiabank Place in Kanata, Ont., means there's that available berth for a third OUA team to join Carleton and the West division winner at the Final 8, so it's tempting to think that coach Rob Smart's Gaels might be able to squeak in there. (Hey, they did count wins last season over Brock and national semifinalist Western.)

Related:
Gaels to get another taste of hoops, U. S. college style; Queen's hosts trio of American squads in pre-season series (Patrick Kennedy, Kingston Whig-Standard)